


The Code of Changelings

by Annablue



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: Changeling AU, Changeling!Eli
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-11-22 08:56:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20871572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annablue/pseuds/Annablue
Summary: Eli stared at the creature in the mirror, his shocked expression mirrored back at him. He lifted an arm, the monster in the mirror did the same. He stared intently at the reflection as he brought his hand to his mothThis had to be a joke, a prank. That reflection couldn’t belong to him. Someone must have done something to his mirror. Someone was pranking him. It just couldn’t be trueAs his fingers brushed over the smooth, hard surface of his newly protruding tusks, reality set in. His hands flew to the top of his head, grasping at the newly sprouted horns.He finally brought his hands down to eye level, turning them over. He noted the pale orange color, the stony consistency.Eli glanced down at his new body, seeing how the color and texture extended down his new body. Eli took a deep breath, meeting his reflection’s eyes. Large, green, slit pupiled eyes.And screamed.





	1. Chapter 1

Eli stared at the creature in the mirror, his shocked expression mirrored back at him. He lifted an arm, the monster in the mirror did the same. He stared intently at the reflection as he brought his hand to his moth  
This had to be a joke, a prank. That reflection couldn’t belong to him. Someone must have done something to his mirror. Someone was pranking him. It just couldn’t be true  
As his fingers brushed over the smooth, hard surface of his newly protruding tusks, reality set in. His hands flew to the top of his head, grasping at the newly sprouted horns.  
He finally brought his hands down to eye level, turning them over. He noted the pale orange color, the stony consistency. Eli glanced down at his new body, seeing how the color and texture extended down his new body. Eli took a deep breath, meeting his reflection’s eyes. Large, green, slit pupiled eyes.  
And screamed.

That day began the same as any other day, with his mom throwing open the door to his room.  
“Eli! Get up! You’ll be late to school!” She screeched.  
Eli looked up from his journal, a small scowl forming on his lips.  
“I know mom. I’m up.” He grumbled, leaning over the side of his bed to grab his backpack. Slipping the journal inside, he shouldered the bag and walking to the door. He hesitated a second before putting a hand on his mom’s shoulder as he slipped past her. His mom jumped slightly in surprise, giving Eli a small smile.  
“Bye mom!” Eli called as he ran down the stairs and out of the house. He gave a small sigh as he set off down the street. A couple houses down, Eli jumped as a trash can shook, the lid rattling loudly as it banged against the metal bin. He stopped, watching it for more movement. A second later he heard a quiet growl and it rattled again.  
Eli slipped the bag off his shoulders and picked up a nearby stick, carefully approaching the trash can. He brandished the stick in one hand, lifting the lid off the can with the other. The smell that wafted up from the shredded trash bags was enough to make Eli’s eyes water. He turned his face away, gagging. Taking a deep breath, Eli sifted through the top layer of garbage with his stick, looking for the critter stuck in there.  
Eli yelped as he pushed aside a fast food wrapper, revealing a head. It looked like it belonged to an old baby doll. It was buried up to its neck in trash, its eyes closed and blond hair slicked down with garbage juice. He turned away, taking another deep breath to calm his nerves before turning back.  
The eyes were open, staring straight at him. Eli screamed, scrambling away from the metal can. Green light flared from the inside and out crawled a… thing. Large yellow eyes peered at him out of a round green face. A line of scraggly brown scruff ran down the back of its neck. It smiled around two small tusks protruding from its lower lip.  
“Hey, what ya doin’ out here?” It asked. It jumped off the can, landing next to Eli. Eli oogled, his heart racing as he stared at the creeper.  
“What are you?” Eli whispered, pulling his phone out for a picture. The thing snatched it from him, throwing it into the trash.  
“Sorry, can’t let ya do that.” The creeper squinted at him. “And what’d ya mean what am I? I’m same as you!”  
“You don’t look like a human.” Eli noted, his panic subsiding. “And I definitely don’t look like you.”  
The creature furrowed its eyebrows with a look of confusion. Suddenly the look cleared and the monster gave a sly smile. “Oh. That’s right.”  
“What’s right? What are you talking about? Wait, let me get my journal!” Eli reached for his bag, but the creature shouted.  
“Hands off. You can do ya writin’ later. As for what I am, I’m a changelin’.”  
“A changeling? What’s a changeling?” Eli’s fingers twitched, longing for his journal and pencil. He resisted the urge to grab them, not wanting the changeling to confiscate it.  
“We’re human, but we can be trolls if we want.”  
“So you’re a hybrid?”  
The changeling see-sawed his hand. “Kinda. It’s tricky.” He turned to go, but Eli called out to him.  
“Wait! Why are you telling me this? Why doesn’t anyone else know about you? What do you mean you’re the same as me? Can we meet again sometime?”  
The changeling rolled his eyes. “Ey, chill with the questions! Jeez! I gotta get back to me family.” it turned it’s back to Eli, took a step, faltered, and turned back. It gave a mischievous grin. “A changeling can always tell one of their own.” it said. “Can you?” Then it darted out of sight, leaving a very confused Eli behind.

The rest of the day flew by as Eli walked around in a daze, mind focused on the changeling. Millions of questions swirled around his brain as he walked from class to class, hardly registering what was taught.  
The only thing to make it through Eli’s distracted brain was Toby and Jim’s antics. He always enjoyed watching the two of them, coming up with theory after theory in an attempt to explain the sudden change in his previously subdued classmates.  
Today they were carrying around a horseshoe, passing it back and forth between them as they tried to touch everyone they passed with it. Toby took the horseshoe from Jim and touched the cold metal to Darci’s arm. Darci shrieked, jumping in surprise. She spun around to face him, ready to tell him off. Toby shoved the horseshoe into Jim’s arms and took off running, Darci following in pursuit. Jim gave Claire and Mary a sheepish smile as he shrugged, inching away from the girls.  
Eli chuckled as he turned back to his locker, his thoughts returning to his conversation with the changeling. Something knocked against the back of his shoulder. Eli shouted in surprise as a white hot pain shot through his body. He wheeled around, finding himself face to face with Jim.  
“Oh, hi Jim.” He said, trying to calm his racing heart as the pain subsided, almost disappearing.  
“Hi.” Jim rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’m just going to…” He trailed off as he pointed towards Toby, who was still running away from an enraged Darci.  
“Okay.” Eli nodded, watching Jim hurry after Toby. He took a deep breath, rubbing at his shoulder, where residual pain resided. Jim hadn’t hit him hard. He’d only brushed him with the horseshoe. Eli shook his head, the words of the changeling coming to mind. I’m same as you, he’d said. A changeling can always tell one of their own. Can you? Eli squeezed his eyes shut. What was going on?

The changeling met Eli in his room that night.  
Eli was up late, hiding under his blankets with a flashlight as he wrote the days unusual events in his journal, the only sound in the room was the quiet scratching of his pencil on the paper. Eli stared at what he had written, reading it over and over, silently wishing for it to make sense.  
Eli groaned in frustration, slamming the journal closed and throwing it across the room. It hit the opposite wall with a thud, landing dejected on a pile of dirty clothes. He switched off the flashlight, tossing in the general direction of his desk as he laid down, slamming his glasses onto his bedside table.  
“Oi, that wasn’t very nice.” An agitated voice grumbled. Eli’s eyes shot open, his hands grabbing for his glasses as he shoved them back onto his face. Sitting on his desk chair was the changeling from earlier, rubbing at its head with one of its grubby little hands.  
“It’s you!” Eli exclaimed, sitting up quickly.  
“Shhh…” The changeling hissed, holding a finger to its lips. “Don’t wanna wake yer mom.”  
“Your that changeling from earlier.” Eli whispered, leaning in to take a closer look at it. Its skin looked hard and rough, with small sparkling specks embedded in its skin.  
“What are you made of?” Eli asked, reaching out to touch its skin. The changeling batted his hand. “Hey! Hands off!”  
“Where-”  
“Look, I’ve gotta get back before me cover’s blown. I just came to give ya this.” The changeling held out a horseshoe that looked eerily similar to the one Jim and Toby were throwing around earlier. “It’s called a gaggletak. It forces changelings out of their human form and into their troll one.”  
“But I don’t have a troll form.” Eli said, his heart pounding as a crease formed between his eyebrows. “Why would you bring that to me?”  
The changeling raised an eyebrow. “Boss man told me stories. To scare me into behaving.” The changeling chuckled. “Didn’t work of course. I never believed em’, but I think they’re ‘bout you.”  
Eli shook his head, backing away from the tiny changeling as he tried to steady his breathing. “I don’t know your boss. I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’m not a changeling, I’m a human!”  
The changeling nodded at the gaggletak resting on the desk. “Care to grab this and find out? You never know for sure.”  
Eli took a deep breath, reached out with a trembling hand. He’d looked for creepers all his life, and now one had come to him. It claimed Eli himself was a creeper. He’d never forgive himself if he didn’t try. He needed to know if it was true. He closed his eyes tight and grabbed the horseshoe.

_ I am a changeling_, Eli thought, staring at the monster in the mirror, the fact finally sinking in. _All my life,** I’ve** been a creeper._ Eli almost laughed. All this time, he was the embodiment of what he’d been searching for. His laugh died in his throat as one more thought crossed his mind. _Mom is going to kill me._


	2. Chapter 2

“Eli! Are you in there?”  
Eli jumped as his mom banged on the door. He ran across the room, pressing his shoulder against the door, stony hand holding the knob.  
“How do I change back?” Eli hissed. The smaller changeling snatched a sock off the floor and hopped onto Eli’s bed. Shrugging his shoulders, the changeling munched on the sock.  
“Please! You have to know how! How do I turn back?” Eli cried. He readjusted his grip as his mom shook the door knob.  
“Eli, are you hiding from me? Eli? Are you okay?”  
“You gotta invision it.” The tiny changeling said. “Think about yer human form. Invision you’re in that form. Poof, human. Works the same way for yer troll form.”  
Eli took a deep breath, closing his eyes. In his mind’s eye, Eli saw himself. Not his troll self, with the orange skin and horns. His human self. Messy brown hair, broken glasses, rumpled clothes. He saw the brown eyes and timid smile that always greeted him in the mirror.  
_That’s me,_ Eli thought. He grimaced as his mom rammed her shoulder into the door, attempting to break it down. _This isn't me, that is. That’s my body. That’s my face. And I want. It. Back._  
A slight burning sensation ran across Eli’s body as an eerie green light filled the room. When it cleared, he looked down at his hands. His normal, human hands. A relieved grin spread across Eli’s lips as he quickly ran a hand over his face and hair, finding the other trollish attributes had gone as well.  
Another bang sounded as Eli's mom continued trying to break in. “Hide!” Eli told the other changeling. He turned the knob, opening the door as his mom ran at it once more. She stumbled into the room, eyes darting around frantically. They finally landed on Eli, and she pulled him into a hug.  
“What was going on? Why wouldn’t your door open?” She asked, holding him close. Eli squirmed out of her arms, running a hand through his hair, again relieved when he felt the absence of horns.  
“It’s fine mom.” Eli whined, spotting the changeling snickering under the bed. “It was jammed, that’s all.”  
His mom inspected the door, a deep frown etched in her features. “We’ll have to fix that.” She said finally, walking out of Eli’s room. “Come get dinner.” She called over her shoulder before disappearing downstairs.  
The smaller changeling slung himself back onto Eli’s bed. “You’re mom’s intense.” He commented.  
“Yeah.” Eli sighed, staring after her. “She’s always been like that.” He went to sit next to the changeling on the bed. “So, what does this mean?”  
“It means your a changeling.” Thehe said bluntly.  
Eli raked his fingers through his hair. “I get that! But why? Where did I come from? Are their other changelings? Who are you-”  
“Woah, woah, woah, chill it with the questions! Look, me name’s NotEnrique, that’s all I’m tellen you. If you wanna know more, you gotta come with me to the Janus Order.”  
“What’s the Janus order?” Eli asked.  
“It’s where us changelings set up our base of operations. It’s also where we can introduce you to the boss man.”  
“Boss man? I don’t know…”  
“Do you wanna know more or not kid?”  
Eli stared at the other changeling, NotEnrique. Not-Enrique. If this was not Enrique, where was the real Enrique? Did they do something to the children they replaced. Eli’s knowledge on changelings was limited, but he knew that much. Changelings were swapped at birth. Did that make him NotEli? Where was the real Eli?  
He had been looking for creepers all his life. He’d wanted to know who they were and what they were doing. Well, now the creepers came and found him. He’d be stupid to pass up his only chance for answers.  
“I’m in.” Eli said. “Take me to the Janus Order.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while, but here's chapter 2! I know it's not much, but things will pick up pretty soon, I promise.


End file.
